Home Sick in Daily Thoughts, Ideas, and Experiences

Just a side note: I post art online under a couple of different pseudonyms. I’d like to keep them separate from this, but my art is also really important to me and something I’d like to share. So if you find my accounts just keep that in mind. Thank you

The last couple of weeks have been really good. It’s like I’m catching up on summer as quickly as possible. Even though I spent my birthday alone, I’ve enjoyed adventures that I never had the chance to embark on before. Late night drives and hot chocolate beat a birthday party and gifts.
A couple of weeks ago we went to see some water. I packed my bag with my watercolor and charcoal supplies and charged my camera battery and waited for my friends to pick me up. The night before I got home pretty late. J and I went to the store after work to get some food for the trip. Late night grocery runs have always been a fun thing to do, even after a long day of work. Despite the lack of sleep, I still woke up really early. They said they’d come to pick me up around 8 but they didn’t show until 8:30, which was fine of course. I found myself in the kitchen reading my mom’s medical books.
We stopped by work to get some ice for the cooler. The previous night I had forgotten that my manager was opening the next day, so I just hoped that he wouldn’t complain about anything. But I think he was just surprised to even see us and didn’t make any comments.
We drove to J’s house where we would meet up with everyone else. I met some of their friends for the first time but they were pretty alright and very nice. It was a little after 9 at this point and the sky was really cloudy. We were a little worried but we were gonna be going up to the next state so we hoped that it would be nice there.
On the way to the river, we stopped to get coffee and soda. We had the burger stuff and chips packed up too. Just a bunch of teens loaded in a minivan. It was nearly two hours altogether to get up to the water. We crossed the toll bridge and made our way to a little town and drove down right up to some rocks.
It was really windy but the sun had come out to play. I found a little spot among the rocks that sheltered me a bit from the wind and set up my charcoal things. The others changed into appropriate swimming attire and took a look around as E told everyone the rules, where they could just, and how they would get back up. We weren’t on a beach or anything and it was a bit of leap to actually get into the water. J seemed a little apprehensive, and K too, and they waited for the others to jump in. I couldn’t see them in the water but I could hear the screaming and splashing. And then they would emerge from the rocks and go back in. As they stood in above me the wind blew away all of the water and I ended up a little wet too. J finally jumped in, but from what I could hear it wasn’t the best time. She didn’t want to be in the water alone, but she ended up just floating a little so E ended up climbing back up by the time she could even make any headway. I believe she got some help in going with the wind instead of against it as she managed to do. After that, she asked if she could come and sit next to me and watch me draw. I, of course, said that was fine and we just sort of sat. She’s an artsy person, although drawing is just a fun thing. So I think my ease of using charcoal kind of mesmerized her. I also busted out my camera and let her take some pictures. They were mostly of her friends, which was pretty amusing considering she was using the zoom lens and the wind was a thing.
But I was finally able to finish the drawing I’d had planned for a week or so.
It was around this point that the waves were getting to be a bit much and snacks were had. A showed up too, having come separately since he had work. I pulled out my watercolors and did the most artsy thing I could think of, draw what was in front of me. I should say, I’m really bad at watercoloring and I was just there for a good time. I used to be really good at painting landscapes with acrylics but this was an adjustment. A, C, E, and R, were playing around some more but not for very long. We all sat around with some chips and they realized that I was painting the water and the hills. It’s always so funny seeing people react to the concept of painting. I’m not great at likeness so there was really no need for excitement. I wrapped up my painting and we packed up.
J went with A and the rest of us piled back into the minivan. We back across the river and into a small town that I haven’t visited in a while. We originally had planned to make food at E’s brother’s house after he got back from work. There just so happens to be a locally famous ice cream place in this town so of course, we got some. J needed a bathroom, so we went up to the library. In the hallway, there was a shelf full of free books and of course, we grabbed some. S found us somehow and went to the bathroom, then we all went back to the others. We decided to just go back to J’s house, since her parents weren’t home, so we could make food. Which meant it was unnecessary for us to have taken all the cold food with us or to get ice but whatever. Another long drive, especially since it was rush hour now and people were headed into the city. But I love the way my city looks later in the day; there are much worse places to be stuck in traffic other than on top of a bridge that overlooks the buildings with the sun’s reflection glittering on the river.
We got to the house, and somehow E and I ended up prepping the food. We cut onions, tomatoes, and lettuce for everyone else to grab. R and J were on the grill. We all made our food and sat down in the yard. I should say, J’s brother, also J…Jr, joined us. We played an uneventful game of never have I ever then some rounds of paranoia. As it got dark folks got rowdier. I mean as rowdy as we could be while sat on the ground. The rounds of what are the odds began and giggles commenced. I drew eyes on E’s knees, although I didn’t even state odds I just went and did it. Towards the end, we ended up all piled in the bathroom and C did J’s makeup and then they swapped. C ended up looking like a geisha, it was pretty amusing.
E ended up taking everyone who needed a ride home and I slept quite well. Now I’ve got some art to put on my wall and some wicked tan lines.
I worked on Friday and it was nice. There was some work drama but I had a good group.
Saturday, I woke up early. I took a long shower, put on clothes I like and actually did my hair and makeup. I opened up gifts before my brother went to sleep, he’s been sleeping during the day while it’s hot. My family isn’t great at gifts but I got a lot of little practical things. Which is nice, since I can actually make use of them. The best gift was an 18-inch serrated edged machete. I took a snap of my going outside and “THWACKING” weeds. It was great fun. I also made some miniature bundt cakes and cupcakes, which weren’t the best thing but weren’t awful. I had quite a few birthday messages, much more than I expected. As morning turned to afternoon I started getting sad. This was the first birthday I could actually be happy for. I didn’t feel guilty about receiving things, I had money, my mom was working enough to feed us and by me new knives. But birthdays still make me sad.
So I went on a walk. I went to my favorite spot and unfortunately there were people there in the park. But it wasn’t so bad. There were bumblebees floating about and I thought “Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a dead bee I could take home?” I already have one in a jar and I like having it around. I looked down and found a still bee. I scooped it up and gently put it in my pocket. I sat at one of the benches and actually hand wrote a diary entry. There was a little dog wandering around and he came and sat next to me for a little while. After I wrote, I walked back home. Once I got back, I put the bee outside just in case it wasn’t actually dead. I wasted time in my room for a little while, then once it started getting dark I washed up and changed into some pajamas.
Work the next day was really fast. Sundays are always quiet and I had a short shift. My boss had heard about my machete and he almost seemed excited. He had been/is in a bad mood. I worked with people I liked again and then went home.
The beginning of the week was not noteworthy. Kids started school in most places so it got quiet, although the mall was actually really busy in the afternoon. I wasn’t supposed to work Thursday, but my boss forgot that school had begun so I had to take a shift. Over the last few days, we had been half planning a get together to see C off and welcome Y back for Sunday, but the planning didn’t get very far. But E’s friends were planning a surprise barbeque per her mother’s request for the same day. And of course, C, J, K, G, and E were all working that night. 5 of the 6 of us needed to figure out what we were gonna do all while not ruining the surprise for E. J had covered a kiosk shift that started when I got off, so I told her I would accompany her and we could try to figure this all out. I didn’t have a ride home and taking the bus or walking at 4:30 wasn’t my idea of a good day. J had brought a coloring book and some watercolor pencils for entertainment since the kiosks can be really boring. But she ended up having me work on a page while we talked. G and C both ran carts so we could figure out Sunday. The half plans ended up being dropped in favor of the barbeque. And then it was 7 and there was no point in leaving. J offered to give me ride home if I stayed and that coloring book really put in me in the zone. And I was able to help everyone close since we still aren’t used to the new system. I was tired and hungry which is a perfect recipe for a fun time. It didn’t take too long for us to close and I got home without having to pay or walk.
I had Friday off, and so did my mom, so we did some errands. We went to the library and borrowed too many books. Then we came home and my mom went for a home visit with one of her ‘patients’. We then went to Michaels to check out the Halloween decor. I hadn’t been to a Michaels in so long since there isn’t one close to us. But after watching some goth hauls and looking online, I had to go. And there was the perfect gift for E too. I got a fake bird that I carried around the store, a skull, a crate, and some other things. And some giant googly eyes for E, since she wants to put them on the ice machine at work. When I got home, I painted the crate and set up a little spooky nook on my wall. We attempted to relax after that, even though there were more things we wanted to do.
Saturday was pretty normal, at least work. I had an awkward shift but my mom wasn’t working so she took me home. On the way, J texted me asking if I wanted to hang out. She’s leaving to go to Hawaii tomorrow and she had mentioned that she wanted to do something before she left. I responded yes of course and changed into some clothes that weren’t sweaty. We went to iFly, an indoor flying place. J and I decided that we didn’t actually want to fly but C, Jr, K, and S, who I had just meet, were all going to go. I brought my notebook and wrote while we waited. J and I were on one side of this plexiglass cylinder while the others were on the other side. We took videos of their “flying” and laughed too much. My face was sore afterward. It was a lot of fun.
Then J invited me over for a “chill” night and I was down. So went to her house and met E, A, R, R’s boyfriend B, and J, another stranger to me. It wasn’t really a party, but it was the first time I’ve been around teens drinking at home. But it was actually quite calm, even when J was rolling on the floor high. Most of us were completely sober anyway. A had a friend come over who just so happens to have the same name as me, which is kinda weird. But she was blonde. K, Blondie, and I worked on a puzzle for a while then I ended up upstairs. J wanted to show me some paintings she had made. I tried to take a nap, although it was probably midnight at this point, but it didn’t work. Everyone else, save for R and B who had left, were playing this game where all the lights are off and one person wears a pillowcase over their head. The pillowcased had to try and tag someone, while everyone else hid and baited. After lying down for a while, I joined in. Well at first I sat at the bottom of the stair since someone had the wise idea of trying to hang off the top banister and fell down. Then I actually played. I am very stealthy but I did actually get caught once. It was almost 3 at this point, so I texted my mom saying I wanted to stay the night and that I had a way to work the next day. She actually responded with no questions. We then went for a typical Dutch run and I had a great hot choco. When we got back to the house, we all laid down on the floor with blankets, cushions, and pillows and put on the conjuring. I decided that I wanted to sleep, it being almost 4 at this point. The movie isn’t one that really scares me, but E’s noises and exclamations were pretty entertaining. I eventually fell asleep, but I woke up to the sounds of talking. It was netflix playing an add. I looked around and grabbed the remote. K was lying on the couch, still awake somehow and I looked at her, made eye contact and shut the television off. It was pretty dark, so I just nustled my head into the pillow and fell asleep again. I had set an alarm for 8:30, but I woke up at 7:13. I knew that E had to be up at 8 so I decided to just get up and use the bathroom before everyone else started getting up. I sat outside after cleaning up and wrote. One of the cats came to say good morning, although he seemed like he wanted to play. After writing about sunrises I went back inside and watched some videos. E woke up at 8 and I rushed over to get her alarm and get her up calmly. She laid down for a couple of minutes before getting up, using the bathroom, and finally leaving. Then it was quiet again. J awoke to her alarm and she went into cleaning mode. She wasn’t sure when her parents were going to be home so she wanted to be sure that the trash was taken care of and the dishes were done. We made some tea then planned the morning. We decided to make breakfast at around 9:45-10. And by we, I guess I mean me. I made pancakes and eggs as folks started waking up. I don’t do pancakes, especially in someone else’s house, but it seemed that the people enjoyed them. I put everything on one plate, letting folks eat as they please. I’m not really a food in the morning person so I only eat to taste as J went and got ready. We stopped by my house and I oh so quickly changed, brushed my teeth, and cleaned my piercing. I managed to get to work perfectly early. J sat in the back eating and brushing her teeth until her shift started an hour after mine. My coworkers said I looked tired and I don’t know if it was the 3 or so hours of subpar sleep showing or the fact that I put on the least possible amount of makeup on as I brushed my teeth. I actually felt kinda energetic but then my depth perception was off and I started saying nonsense. And then I got really tired. It was another short shift, so afterward I took the bus home and soaked in the sun. I took a shower, did a face mask and did my hair. I then finished making E’s birthday card and wrapped her gift. I had a snack and was outside by 6:30 when J got off work. She picked me up and we drove to her house. She was in a bad mood because of work drama and we just talked. She stopped at home to wash her face and then we went to E’s. I gave her her gift and she actually understood the joke and laughed. I had some tater tots and cake and we debriefed on the work stuff. After we were just sat outside. E lives on the edge of civilization so it was really pretty. I emptied out my backpack for the entertainment of everyone and we just sat around and talked. We ended moving to the firepit, and as it started to get dark we toasted marshmallows. I kinda was zoned out most of the time. But it was nice. We just kinda hung out, played some hide and seek, and talked. Then I went home and slept in my own “bed”.
I let myself sleep in today since I don’t have work until late. I’m training someone in kiosk. Even though he’s been closing kiosk for the last couple of weeks. And he doesn’t like people younger than him bossing him around so we’ll have to see how it goes. He seems to tolerate me pretty well so I’m not too worried. I made some food and I’ll bring that in. It is a sure way to make folks happy.
And now, I’ve been sat in my kitchen writing for an hour. Fun.

Last updated September 06, 2018